Dance

Sandra Kaufmann

About

Sandra Kaufmann is the founding director of the dance program at Loyola University. She teaches Modern I, Modern III, Ballet III and Ballet IV. Sandra is internationally recognized as a leading authority on classical modern dance technique and repertory with extensive experience as a dancer, director and educator.

Sandra performed throughout the world as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. While based in New York City, Sandra served on the faculty of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and as Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Ensemble. Sandra continues to work actively with the Martha Graham Center, teaching in their international summer intensive workshop and serving as a regisseur staging the repertory of Martha Graham throughout the country. She also performed extensively with renown choreographers, Pearl Lang and Richard Move.

With MOMENTA and Silo Chamber Dancers, Sandra has had opportunities to dance many of the choreographic works by Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, two of modern dance’s most influential artists. Sandra has taught Humphrey/Weidman technique and theory on faculty at Barnard College and New York University and as a repeat guest artist at Interlochen Academy. She serves as a member of the board of the Doris Humphrey Society.

A prolific choreographer, Ms. Kaufmann has created works for concert dance, musical theatre productions, opera, video and site specific works. Her choreography has been honored with awards from Dance Magazine Foundation, Tidmarsh Arts Foundation, The American College Dance Festival, Bossak/Heilbrun Foundation, The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, and The Sloan Science and Technology Commission. With playwright, Michael Bassett and physicist, Brian Greene, Sandra presented the keynote address for Art/Science International's Annual Conference at the Museum of Natural History in New York City in 2001 on their full evening work, Superstrings.

Ms. Kaufmann graduated summa cum laude from the College of Education and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University, where she delivered the commencement addresses for both colleges. Sandra was awarded talented student scholarships from Northern Illinois University and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and has received academic awards from Illinois Board of Regents, USA Today, Delta Kappa Gamma Teaching Sorority and George Hawkins Foundation.

Sandra served on the faculty of Barnard College, New York University and The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York. In Chicago she has taught at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, University of Chicago, The Academy of Movement and Music and Loyola University Chicago.